Soybeans have long been a staple of the Asian diet in multiple food forms including tofu and soymilk, among many other soy based and fermented foods. Soybeans are excellent sources of protein. Enzyme active soy protein, i.e., soy protein which has not been denatured, has a desirable amino acid profile for nutritional purposes, and includes other health promoting elements such as phytoestrogens. In recent years, demand for soy foods has grown dramatically in the United States and other western countries, principally in the form of meat analogs, nutrition bars and powdered nutrition beverages prepared from soy protein isolates and concentrates. Chemically fractionated soy ingredients and soymilk are prepared by modernized methods to reduce much of the traditional “beany” flavor favored in the East, but severely objected to in the West.
Demand for natural and organic foods has grown at extraordinary rates. Natural and organic foods generally cannot utilize chemically processed materials. The soy ingredients commonly used are not full fat/oil and have been treated with solvents such as hexane to remove the fat/oil fraction, and would not thus qualify as natural or organic food materials. Such isolates and concentrates are commonly further processed with water and alcohol to remove both soluble and insoluble carbohydrates to produce soy protein isolates (minimum 90% protein, dry basis). Or, just the soluble carbohydrate fraction is removed to produce soy protein concentrates (about 70% protein). The terms fats and oils are used interchangeably with respect to soybeans in the prior art and in this application. The soybean flakes used in the present invention are full fat and enzyme active made from mechanically dehulled and processed full fat, enzyme active soybeans. Hilum varieties soybeans are useful in making the soybean flakes used in the boiling water method of the present invention. Triple null soybean variety is preferred and critical in the microwave method of the present invention. Where the soybeans used in making the flakes are full fat, enzyme active, and mechanically dehulled and processed, the flakes and cereal prepared therefrom would qualify as natural food. Where prepared from organically grown soybeans, the flakes and cereal would also qualify as organic. The defatted concentrates and isolates commonly used do not qualify as natural or organic, as has become increasingly popular in today's market. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,495,140 and 6,426,111, for example, illustrate preparation of soy fractionates and/or isolates using solvent extraction.
While the soybean flakes used in the present invention may be made by other methods, they are preferably made according to the method recited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,730, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Soybeans are excellent sources of elements necessary for good health, and supply outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical benefits. Products containing soy are excellent sources of protein, iron, vitamin-B, calcium, lecithin and isoflavones. In particular, its lecithin content is from 2.7 to 3.1 percent. Soybeans also contain essential minerals including phosphorus, which is an essential element used by the body for building bones. Soy isoflavones are now considered helpful in reducing risks for cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Pure soya contains about 38–42%, 18–22% fat or oil (of this lecithin is 2.7–3.1%), 25–35% carbohydrate, 1.5–2.5% minerals, 3–5% fiber, and 5–6% water. Full soya flour furnishes about 89 grams of protein per 1000 calories, i.e., about 132 grams of protein and 44 grams oil per 1000 grams. By contrast potatoes contain only about 21 grams of protein per 1,000 calories. Full soya flour contains about three times the grams of protein per 1000 grams as lean beef. A “typical analysis of soy flour and grits appears in “The Soybean Digest”, Vol. 19, No. 8, Jun. 1959, pages 8 to 9, as follows:
FullHighLowfatfatfatDefattedProtein, %40.045.048.052.0Fat, %20.015.05.00.5Fiber, %2.52.53.03.0Ash, %5.05.05.56.5Moisture, %8.08.08.08.0MicroSoy full fat, enzyme active soybean flakes contain about 40.48% protein, 19.0% crude fat, 2.1% fiber, 4.79% ash, 8.08% moisture, and 27.59% carbohydrate. In addition, since soybeans do not contain particular glutens, products made from soy offer an alternative for people suffering from celiac disease and/or gluten allergies.
There exists in the prior art the need for soy-containing products made from natural unchemically processed soybean material; and having the highest possible soy content, while maintaining good taste and texture. Applicants and the prior art faced the problem that unfortunately products containing soybeans, especially in substantial amounts, tend to exhibit undesirable taste and/or texture properties. For Example, products containing soy materials, may exhibit unpleasant characteristics including chalkiness and/or mouth dryness, grittiness, grassy flavor, bitter flavor, salty flavor, and astringency. Primarily as a result of said flavor and texture problems, soybeans have been used in the hot and cold cereal market almost exclusively as additives to grain cereals in the form of soy concentrates and isolates. Limited quantities of soy materials have been added as a protein supplement to cereals made from other grains such as corn, wheat and rice. Soy isolates and concentrates are expensive forms of protein, prone to flavor problems, available mainly in powder form, and do not qualify as natural or organic food stuffs.
Additionally, a normal serving of applicants' inventive cereal, which is prepared from full fat, enzyme active, dehulled soybean flakes, meets the FDA cardiovascular health claim minimum of 6.25 grams of soy protein. According to the FDA, 25 grams of soy protein per day, when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce risk of heart disease. Moreover, the presently inventive cereal should be able to deliver the full 25 grams of soy protein in a single serving of a good tasting quality hot cereal.
Furthermore, the use of soybeans as flakes, provides significant advantages over use of soybean materials which have been further processed into granules or powder. The milling of the flakes into granules or powder increases the surface area of the soybean material, and adversely subjects the soybean material to denaturing additional heat and exposure to oxygen and moisture. Soy flours and powders have significant texture and processing problems (too powdery) and potential flavor problems as a result of milling.
Soy flakes and soy protein isolates or concentrates have been used, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,782, to make soy-protein-based, liquid nutritional products, wherein the protein source is chosen from soy flakes, soy protein isolate or concentrate, hydrolyzed soy protein, soy flour, soy protein flour, soy whey, and mixtures thereof (note claims 1 and 4, for example). U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,730 discloses using soybean flakes for making soybean milk. The method for making soybean flakes shown in the '730 patent is the preferred method for making soybean flakes used in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,177 shows a breakfast cereal containing at least one cereal grain selected from corn, wheat, rye, rice, oats, barley, and mixtures thereof; and, a soy material selected from soy flour, soy grits, soy flakes, a comminuted whole soybean material, or combinations thereof. The cereal grain and soy materials are taught to be blended, cooked to form a cereal dough, and the dough further processed to form a flaked, puffed or shredded ready-to-eat cereal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,192 discloses an edible soy material containing soybean cell walls. The soy material is produced by providing dehulled and hypocotyl-removed soybeans without substantial swelling by water absorption; soaking and heating the soybeans in hot water to which an alkali has been added; and then crushing the soybeans. The edible soy material produced is disclosed to be used similarly to bean jam, mashed potato, hard-boiled egg yolk and the like, and also for gelation (5th paragraph in “Description of the Related Art”). The soaking temperature is taught to be 80° C. or higher, preferably, 85° C. or higher (6th paragraph of “Detailed Description of the Invention). U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,513 discloses producing a full fat, flaked soybean product to be used as cattle feed. The soybeans are not dehulled. The raw soybeans with hulls intact are subjected to steaming at temperatures greater than 100° C., followed by flaking in a roller mill. The flaked soybeans are dried in a forced air dryer by the application of superheated air at temperatures in excess of 300° F. (149° C.), and cooled to ambient temperature. U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,038 discloses a method of producing a bland tasting full fat soy flour meal or grits, wherein the soybeans either whole or split are treated with live steam or water under atmospheric pressure at temperatures ranging between 85 to 100° C. apparently 21 times for 2 to 20 minutes, or for an equal or shorter time under steam pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure. The patent indicates (6th paragraph in “Description”), “If whole soybeans are simply ground to a meal or flour, the flavour is objectionable being described as ‘green’, ‘painty’ and ‘raw’(;) such flavours being a consequence of the enzymatic activity in the full-fat soy flour so prepared.” U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,155 describes a process for producing a full-fat soy flour using dehulled full fat soybean flakes or grits as raw material. The flakes or grits are subjected to screw-type extrusion in which the soy material is heated to 115 to 145° C. under a dynamic pressure of 375 to 400 psi, so as to expel from the soybean flakes as much soybean oil as can be reabsorbed by the flakes upon release from the pressure zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,613 discloses a protein fortified (above about 20%), natural cereal product which comprises a mixture of whole farinaceous grains (rich in or consisting of starch), such as whole wheat, whole oats rolled oats and flaked wheat; flavorants; sweeteners; and a textured vegetable protein material derived at least in part from peanuts. Peanuts are taught to provide a “nutty” taste “generally more recognized and acceptable to humans than is the more ‘beany’ flavor of soybeans” (2nd paragraph of “SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION”). Also discussed (paragraph 7 of “SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION”) is the inclusion in many breakfast cereal products of protein sources including defatted soybean flakes, or soybean isolates. Canadian patent 972,276 relates to debittering soy products and eliminating the undesirable bitter or beany flavor of soy. This patent indicates it is known in the art to incorporate soy flour, soy protein isolates, soy grits, soy flakes, soy meal and the like, into foods such as ready-to-eat and other breakfast cereals, but which also include cereal grains such as corn, rice, wheat, barley and the like, etc. (paragraph bridging pages 1 and 2). Also, disclosed is use of soy materials in bread formulations, cake flour, soup and gravy mixes, cookie, pancake, doughnut and waffle mixes and meat loaf. The patent notes, however, that the amount of soy that can be incorporated in a given food is limited by the natural soybean flavor that may be characterized as bitter or beany. The patent teaches reducing these flavors by incorporating as flavor controller, caramelized malt, Munich malt, or other high flavor malt. The patent teaches adding the soy material at a level of 0.5 to 30%; preferably adding 15 to 25% concentrated soy for breakfast cereal formulations.
The Soybean Digest, June 1959, pp. 8–9, broadly indicates edible soy products are useful additives in a variety of food products including bread and other bakery products of all types, hot and cold breakfast cereals, macaroni and spaghetti, doughnuts and doughnut mixes, cookies and crackers, and snake items. U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,033 shows preparation of an expanded cereal product from starch from a tuber such as potatoes and protein from soybeans. U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,491 shows high temperature and high pressure extrusion formation of an expanded cereal from up to 55% soy protein.
Applicants have discovered, totally unexpectedly and contrary to the teachings of the prior art, a hot cereal having good taste and texture characteristics prepared from substantially 100% full fat, enzyme active, soybean flakes made from dehulled soybeans. Hereinafter the soybean flakes made from dehulled soybeans will, for convenience, often be referred to as “full fat, enzyme active, dehulled soybean flakes”. Applicants have also discovered unexpected boiling water method and microwave method for making said cereal from soybean flakes.